The following morning, Issei got up from his bed and took a shower. While he did, Serafall and Raynare decided to join him.

After the shower, Issei got ready for the day and headed to the dungeon. That's what the plan was, but when he opened the door, he was met with Hephaestus and Tsubaki.

Hephaestus was in a good mood. Last night, she dreamt of something magical that caused her to be in a good mood, but she could not remember all the details of what it was.

As for Tsubaki, she was not. She was thinking all night about a way to let her Goddess know that there is a chance for Issei to reject her as he was already married. Although she knew Hephaestus was unaware of her feelings toward Issei, it was best to prepare for the worse.

"Hephaestus? Tsubaki? What are you guys doing here early in the morning?" asked Issei. He was curious.

"Well, I finally got my permission to use my Arcanum. That means we can have our forging match. I have chosen the venue; have invited the guest and other obligations I needed to do is complete. All I have remaining is to inform you of it. Hence, here we are," said Hephaestus. She was smiling the entire time. This was unusual for her. Sure, she does smile, but not as much as she is now.

"Oh, this is exciting news," said Issei. He was smiling. He has never showcased his forging before in front of a crowd, but he was excited to do so.

"Quite. Here is all the info you need. The match will happen in three days," said Hephaestus. As she handed the paper to Issei, their hands touched. Hephaestus blushed and she didn't know why.

As their purpose of finding Issei was done, Hephaestus skipped back to her abode, along with Tsubaki who could only sigh.

Hephaestus was skipping. It was adorable. Issei thought so.

Raynare and Serafall peaked at what the paper in Issei's hand said.

"Whoa! She was serious when she wanted to have a forging match with you," said Raynare. She didn't think the Goddess was going to go through with it.

"You know, the way she looked at you was quite…how do I say this. She seemed infatuated with you," said Serafall. She can't believe that Issei was attracting a Goddess without flirting. Then again, she was also drawn to Issei without the need for him to flirt. Because of magical girls!

"I noticed. I also noticed that the rings have increased," said Issei. He looked into his storage, and it was now ten. It was eight before since he already gave out some to Serafall, Raynare, Ning'er, and Xin'er. Plus, the one he was wearing.

"My! My! My! You truly are the Harem King!" laughed Raynare. She heard Koneko-II that Issei-II wanted to be a Harem King.

"Wha! I'm not the Harem King!" said Issei. He crossed his arms in mock anger.

"Anyways, I am heading to the dungeon. With any luck, I should be able to reach the fiftieth floor. It should not be too difficult for me," said Issei. He did not find the dungeon hard even with the irregular monsters coming after him.

"We know you are strong, but still try and be careful," said Raynare. She knows Issei is strong, but that doesn't mean she would stop worrying about him.

"Will do," said Issei. He then headed to the dungeon.

…

Inside the dungeon, Issei watched as Ais killed monsters.

Issei wanted to know where he can help train Ais.

Truly, Ais doesn't need help when it comes to killing monsters. But she needs a lot of work. Just because she has no trouble with monsters doesn't mean that there are no flaws in her style, if you can even call it that.

Hours later, Issei had enough of watching Ais kill monsters.

"That's enough," said Issei. He saw everything that he needed. "Go home today. I'll a training regime for you. It should be ready tomorrow. That's when we also start it. Be ready".

Ais looked at Issei and nodded. She was not going to complain. The training she was receiving has given her a massive boost in her stats. It baffled her, training with Issei was increasing her stats faster than killing monsters on the lower floor. She nodded at Issei and headed back to the Twilight manor. She had nothing more to do in the dungeon for the day. She wasn't even planning to enter, but Issei asked to see her fight a monster.

Issei watched as Ais left the dungeon.

Now that he was alone, Issei sped through the dungeon. It was a piece of cake.

There were a few challenges here and there, but all in all, it was not difficult.

Restrict the usage of his skills and he would have even more skills to use. That is how insane Issei is.

…

Floor 25…

Issei-II has finally started to get serious.

Why?

It was simple.

A monster in the dungeon was able to make him hallucinate losing all that was dear to him. Rias. Asia. Akeno. Oppai. Permanently.

{I don't know if I should be proud that you finally got serious or ashamed of why you got serious} said Ddraig. He saw that his partner was getting stronger, but it was all for the wrong reasons.

"I refuse to never see Oppai again!" said Issei-II. He was angry as he hacked away at the monster plant that spread a hallucinogenic. "Oppai forever!".

{I am not getting that awesome gift of being able to manifest freely, am I?} thought Ddraig. He needed to make Issei-II into a gentleman, but that was not happening anytime soon. He also believes that Issei had given them enough head start. {That man is sure to come soon. We had enough time to get to the lower floors, but here we are}.

Ddraig was getting frustrated with his partner.

{Hmm? Maybe I can have a truce with Vali and Albion? That way I can ask if I can join the Khaos Brigade…} thought Ddraig. {Nah! Screw Albion!}

Ddraig watched Issei-II and saw that he was about to get attacked in the back.

{Watch your back partner} said Ddraig. He saw Issei-II look behind him and slay the monster. {Nicely done. Maybe there is hope for you yet. However, I am doubtful of it}

Ddraig did not want to get his hopes high. It was better to have lower expectations than to be disappointed in the end.

{No matter} though Ddraig. {I'll try and find a way to make this partner of mine into a fine young man. I do have the collective knowledge of my previous wielder. Maybe there is a clue to helping Issei-II be a gentleman}.

…

Issei forgot about Issei-II. He was now on the 45th floor, but he never encountered Issei-II in the dungeon.

"Hmm? Am I forgetting something?" asked Issei. He did so to himself. "I know I was supposed to do something, but I can't remember. If I can't remember it, it might not have been important".

Issei shrugged his shoulders.

…

Back on the 25th floor, Issei-II felt relieved for some reason. He didn't know why, he was in danger now, but a sense of relief was there.

"Ddraig, did you feel a sense of relief as well?" asked Issei-II. It was such a strong sense of relief as if they got out of a powerful beast's radar.

{I didn't} said Ddraig. {Probably because it had something to do with you and not me}

"Could be. It doesn't matter," said Issei-II. He was glad that whatever it was it was no longer a problem. "I feel like I can do whatever I want".

{Do you think that is a good idea? Remember you are on a timer} said Ddraig. He was afraid of Issei. That was a given. It was not stopping anytime soon.

"You're right!" said Issei-II. "Maybe with this newfound relief, I can perform better than before!".

Ddraig shook his head. His partner seems to be going crazy.

…

After a day's work, Issei decided to head back to the place he was staying at.

Issei looked for Serafall and Raynare, but they were not around. He didn't know what they were doing, but he knew they would be safe. No one in Danmachi had the power to cause them issues. Even the Gods or Goddesses were not a match for them.

Issei meditated and went inside his subspace.

Training the Sun Breathing to perfection was not difficult.

Issei was done ins a few hours.

What Issei wanted to do now was train his Blacksmithing skills. He had a Goddess to win over…I mean, a Goddess to win against.

Yes, Issei wanted to defeat a Goddess in the art of Blacksmithing. He was not going to hold back his skills as Hephaestus was worth the respect of beating with his all.